Daughters of Dragneel
by God of LoL
Summary: It was a crazy decision. Now he has to fight the consequences. Join Natsu in his misadventures in the curious world of parenthood! What does fate have in store for him? A Mavis and Natsu fiction. Comedy, Family/ Romance genre. Batteries not included.
1. Chapter 1

Daughter of Dragneel.

Chapter 1: Of Fates and Twisted Personalities

Dragon Slayers have weaknesses. All people have, but a Dragon Slayer's are… well, unique. One of them can be their nose. They can track any smell in a wide radius, and I mean _any_ smell. It's not always the most pleasant thing. A second weakness they have is their canines. Because of their sharpness, they can easily cut flesh, so biting their tongue hurts. A lot. But these are minor compared to the last, true weakness they have... I am not going to tell you just like that. Why don't you find out through a story? Just grab your pop corn and drink and make sure you stand a good distance from your monitor. Ready?

The story starts with a young man, whose life is going to change in just one day. This man goes by the name-

"Natsu! Come here this instance!" Natsu Dragneel is a Dragon Slayer, who is has the element of fire at his disposal. You can always find him in a brawl or two, beating and burning whatever's in his path. Noticed mainly for his pink hair and scaly scarf, Natsu is a man of a well-built stature, yet poorly crafted mind, that seems to work only when he fights. What that means?

He is the personalization of the word _idiot_.

Yet this word alone does not describe him as a whole. He is impulsive, a good friend, a strong fighter and the current victim of your entertainment.

"Natsu! Stop fighting with Gray already!" This angelic voice of dominion and kindness belongs to no other than Mavis Vermillion. Aka, the replacement of Erza when she goes on missions. As beautiful in the within as in the outside, this woman is the only border between global burning and peace. Her golden hair beautifying the world around her, this beauty seems to have a weird influence on Natsu. Often, without even realizing it, she has him do whatever she wants, to the point of making even Erza jealous of her ability.

"Mavis~! Why do you always hit only me? It's unfair to favor Gray…"

"It seems that Mavis has finally fallen to my well sculpted charms!" His cold magic not mirroring his warm heart, Gray Fullbuster is the best friend of the Salamander. Though his low body temperature will give you the chills, this Alchemist of Ice will do anything to warm his friends up! Every ice sculpture though has, no matter how perfect, some bad points. This one's is the inability to wear clothes for more than two minutes and the contrary hot-headedness he seems to share with Natsu. He's also quite boisterous.

"Get off your high horse, Gray. I just don't want to touch a naked man."

"WHAT?! NOT AGAIN!" Did we mention that his stripping habit is subconscious?

"Natsu, did you clean your house like I told you to?" Natsu did not move from his spot, giving immediately away his guilt. "Natsu, when are you going to be responsible for _once_?" _It's that side of you that keeps me away from trying to start a relationship with you…_ Mavis Vermillion; heart of a fortress yes, but every fortress has a gate and hers was invaded long ago from a fire-breathing dragon. But this fortress had its own, strict rules, and the dragon had to obey them all. It did, except one. Responsibility. And that was the number one rule in her heart, so he wouldn't be claiming it his own if he didn't follow this one rule.

Natsu was an irresponsible man, who almost always ruined what he had in his hands. The sole times he didn't break something was when he carried his friends and comrades, but afterwards he would go into fits of immeasurable destruction. He didn't even take good care of his own body, assaulting it with countless of ways. Do not worry, he was a man of hygiene, but not of physical health. Last week, i.e., he attempted to eat thunderclouds! Though he succeeded, it ended up poisoning him and electrocuting anyone in a range of four kilometers. People were afraid to leave things in his care, fearing he would obliterate them.

"Anyway… I guess I will take a job and leave. I promise to tidy it when I come back, so please, don't burn it down while I am gone!" Oh, he knew her well. She would try it_._ He walked to the board of quests and searched for anything that would draw his destructive attention. _Destroy a dark guild- No. Retrieve a stolen horse- No. Rape a- Go to hell pervert! Defeat a mage who threatens my town! Hmmm… Well the reward is good… And it's an S-Class mission too. Not to mention I get to save a town in the process. Okay then! Blow a mage to pieces then!_ He ripped the quest from the board and after getting Mirajane's approval over the mission, he walked to the path of his destiny.

Hours passed, days and nights danced with one another, before finally reaching the city of Handpor. Or at least what was left of it…

Natsu walked in awe into the city, most buildings in rumbles and flames, smoke and debris flying in the air, trying to hide the atrocities that took place in the little town. Houses destroyed, streets vandalized, trees turned into ashes, it was hell's break out. He did what he could to save some of the houses –eating the flames-, but the damage was too much to be reverted. _Was I too late?_ He didn't know. All he knew was that he had to help whichever way possible, and fast.

Wherever he went, he could see the despair in people's eyes, dreams of a lifetime lost in wave of someone's hand. Natsu didn't know what that mage did to destroy this town, but he felt defeated nonetheless. There was nothing he could do. Search him and take revenge? How could he find him and for what? He wasn't able to recognize his smell and he couldn't hunt him down just like that, even if he was the irresponsible and dumb Natsu they all knew and loved. No, that wasn't right.

He froze in his steps, when he heard a woman scream in front of a building. He ran to her, being the person he was, to her aid.

"What's wrong, lady?"

"The orphanage! It's on fire and one baby is still inside!" Not waiting for anymore words, he ran in to search for the kid. He could eat the fire, yes, but the fire wouldn't teleport in his mouth. It would follow a path, a path that would burn whatever was in it, including the child. No, he couldn't risk its life.

He didn't hear anyone. That scared him. He started to look more carefully, more vigorously. Still nothing. And the fire seemed for the first time to betray him, as the smoke it produced covered all other scents, making tracking the baby impossible. And what the hell was wrong with the kid anyway? Shouldn't it cry its lungs out from its fear? The house is on fire! Scream!

When all seemed lost, Natsu heard something different from the usual rambling fire made. Breathing. Not that audible, but his ears could discern it. Moving some burning ramble, he found it. It was a little girl, that he could tell from its hair's length. It didn't move from the spot it was at. Natsu ran at its side and found out why. It had fainted from the fumes and heat. That's why it didn't cry like it normally should.

Time though ran out soon after he found the girl. The building couldn't anymore take its immense weight and finally collapsed on them. Natsu didn't know when or how, but he ended up covering the little creature with his own body.

The light of the next day came soon afterwards. The city that once stood tall was now one with mother earth. The city-folks had began already the renovation process. They soon found the Dragon Slayer, unconscious from the damage on his body, so it was natural that they send him to the nearest hospital. He woke up of course. By the world's most annoying wakeup call ever.

"MIIIIISTER! WAKE UUUUP!" Oh an elbow on the gut, how original. Remember the orphanage lady from yesterday? Here she is, trying her wrestling skills on a nearly unconscious Natsu, all just for the sake of a good waking up. "MIIIISTER!" Why was she even allowed to use a speaker in a hospital? No one knows the truth.

"I'm up! I'm up! Please, put that weapon of mass destruction away, it's killing me!" His eardrums were just too good. "Who are you anyway?" He observed the person in front of him. She was not that special, really. She could pass for a normal teenage girl in any other case, save for the dynamic personality. She wore a pale yellow button-up shirt, rammed inside of the same-colored dress. Her thin frame though made her sizeable cleavage many times bigger, making her too scandalous for a orphanage taker. But her glasses… How could they be so round?

"Oh, I am Sylvia! How silly of me!" She stuck out her tongue, trying to look innocent.

"OH YEAH! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KID!? IS SHE FINE?" A speaker was not needed in this case. Natsu's strong voice was enough to cover up for the difference in volume.

"Oh, she's fine! She just got a heat stroke. A little water and she were as good as new! Here, she wants to say hi!" Again, Natsu was too shocked to say anything at all. This woman had no sense of what's allowed. She took the kid from her hospital room, she came in his room, woke him up with dangerous methods and shove a kid in his face… Pretty much like all of his friends, so yeah, they could get along!

"Aah!" The little girl he saved. It was small, no more than one year old. Around seven months old at most, yet her hair was as long as its little body. The color was a very pale blond, nearly brown, shining though in the golden rays of the sun. Her eyes held a pale gold color as well, nearly the same as her hair, but with a darker tone in them. Wearing a green gown that reached her angles, he could see that the kid was barefooted.

He stared the child in the eyes, no expression or whatsoever. The kid stared back, copying with amazing skill his façade. He stares. She stares back. He stares longer. She fights back with an even longer stare. Before he knew it, the girl was on making itself comfortable on his neck, raffling in wonder his pink hair. She had never seen this color on a person before. No matter how stupid Natsu was though, he could only wonder; _What the hell _just_ happened?_

"She likes you! She has never done that to anyone before! Good! Good! It's then decided!" Sylvia clapped her hands with every word, sounding as if the conversation made sense, when it did not.

"What's decided?" Natsu could only fear for the worst. Sure she wasn't going to do what he thought.

"You are going to raise her!" But she did. Huh.

He processed her words. Over and over. Over and over. Over and over. No matter how many times he did, the situation was still the same and it wasn't changing. _You are going to raise her!_ "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FREAKING MIND, WOMAN!?" He was quickly shushed by a nurse. With a lower tone he continued his rampage. "Are you out of your mind? You want me, a total stranger, just to take the kid and be all like _Huh, why not? Let's raise this fellow!_ This is not a cat or a dog to just give away! This is a kid! A human! And you can't just decide things like that on your own!" Meanwhile, the little girl had taken a nap on top of its _parent_'s head. Her long hair were getting in front of Natsu's face, tickling him a little.

"Oh, but I didn't decide that on my own! She too likes the idea!" Natsu would slap himself if it wasn't for the kid. "Look, I know it sounds hard and it is. I am just a stranger, like you said, who is coming one day in your life and brings it upside down, shoving kid in your care. But you should understand that Handpor is no longer in the state of maintaining an orphanage, let alone its own citizens. This little girl was the last child left, all the others were already adopted. I would raise her myself, but I have to rebuild my town with the others. And I cannot exactly take care of a kid. So please, do me this favor and take the kid!"

"How did I end up taking you with me?" He glared hard at the child that sat on his lap. She didn't to seem to notice, admiring the train coming first in her priorities. Her attention soon was drawn though from a defeated Natsu, who was knocked out the moment the train was set in motion.

It was funny, but it seemed that he could think much more clearly when he was in a near throw up state. _I went to find a job to take my mind off and I ended up raising a kid. Yes. Life is full of twists and turns… Explaining her to the others will be hard. Unless… No, such thinking will bring trouble. Hiding her would be bad for both you and her. But even if you kept it a secret, there's Happy. He can't keep a secret to save his life. If provoked, he would spill the beans almost immediately. If provoked though is far enough… Hmmm… If they don't know I keep a secret, they won't know that Happy keeps one too… And if they don't know that Happy keeps a secret, they won't try to break it out of him, so it's safe! Yes! Then it's decided! I will keep -… Wait… You don't have a name._ He looked up a bit, only to look at the small creature, now preoccupied with playing with a butterfly that had invaded their room. _Now that I think about it, Sylvia too was not referring to her with a name. _He thought for a while, searching for a name that would suit the girl best. "How about Aurora?" The girl made a scowl, obviously disliking the name. "Then Clara." This time she stuck out her tongue. She has a wide range of expressions for her age. "Florence then?" She shook her head in a no-no fashion. _Aren't you a little picky?_ "Anna? How does Anna sound?" The kid stood still. For a moment, it looked like that she would say nothing. Soon though, she flashed a smile, showing a clear approval of her new name. "Anna Gram. That's what I'll call you then." She giggled at that. " Anna Gram Dragneel… Huh, it doesn't sound bad at all actually!" *Groooowwl* Her tiny tummy could rumble really, really loudly. Even then though, she didn't cry. Instead, she opened wide her mouth and showed it to Natsu, saying in a way "I am hungry."

Not much to do, they got down to the next train station. He searched a little for anything that looked like a restaurant, a kiosk, anywhere with anything edible inside that is. He soon found a small Italian –wait, Italy?!- restaurant at the corner. He walked inside, Anna always in his arms, and sat by a table. A waiter soon came over their table, a wide smile on his face. "Well, what would you two like to order?"

"Do you have anything that doesn't require canines to eat?" The waiter looked weirdly at Natsu, before understanding.

"Let me guess. First day taking care of your daughter without your wife?"

"Let's just say that I am not exactly an expert in this, but I am a fast learner!" As diplomatic as ever, the waiter believed Natsu, without him having to revile Anna's origin. You would be scared to know that the most manipulative person in the world could with ease be Natsu Dragneel. Wasn't it for the happy go lucky personality of his, he would have the world under his feet. All with a few words. It was his unintentional _tutorials_ that taught Loki the magic of catch lines, making him one of the world's most successful playboys. No one knew that of course, and even if they did hear something of that sort, they wouldn't believe it anyway.

The waiter then brought a plate of puree –mashed potatoes- and Natsu proceeded to feed the little kid. She gladly ate the food, showing no complaints about it. Natsu played a little along the way, pretending at times that the spoon was a horse.

Natsu found himself attached to the child, sooner than anyone would foresee. From an outsider's point of view, it looked like a young father feeding-playing with his little daughter. That natural was it for him to play his part of the play.

They soon left the shop, Anna sleeping in his arms, having satisfied its hunger._ What a self-interested child…_ They got on the next train, this one going to Magnolia. It took Natsu infinite amounts of willpower to stay in a conscious enough state in order to watch over the sleeping child. That was though the second reason he did so…

Reaching Magnolia meant that word of Handpor's destruction came. That meant in its turn that he should be expecting a welcoming committee, in other words a worried out of her mind Mavis. Why Mavis alone, he didn't know. But he had that level of intuition and if she saw him with a child… He didn't want to imagine the outcome. So he had to stay conscious enough to find a way to evade the First. Unless he can grow wings and fly, there is no escape route for him. He'll have to face hell at its greatest glory. That would be a problem.

On the other hand though! Hmmm… "Yes! That's it!" Almost waking up Anna, Natsu yelled loudly in excitement of his idea. He was using too much his brain lately, something scary, no matter how you look at it.

So they reached the station of Magnolia. As he anticipated, Mavis _was_ outside the train station, with a worried expression on her face. Natsu though didn't bother to look twice, fearing his resolve of his _master plan_ would be blown away like dust. What the master plan was?

He would transform into a woman and walk out with the kid.

Dumb? It would be, if Natsu was alone. But with Anna in his –or maybe her- hands, he would easily convince for a young mother. It was a good plan –from the dumb perception of the Dragon Slayer at least.

With a poof of smoke, Natsu changed his form to a more… feminine version of himself. This one wore clothes same as the ones Sylvia wore, but the black and orange verse. His hair was longer and tied near the end of it, but it still had that spiky look here and there. His frame… well it was that of an attractive woman, what did you expect? Muscles?

Anna looked at Natsu in wonder, but clearly recognizing him. She still kept this air of familiarity with him, so she didn't flinch for a second. This somehow confused Natsu though. Was his disguise so bad, that a kid was able to see through it? He wished that the kid was just way too smart for its age, because… He didn't want to think the because. They would survive this no matter what!

He walked out, doing his best to show near to zero signs of motion sickness. He did a good job, but the constant trying to look normal made him sweat like a pig. When Mavis looked his way, his sweating doubled in a moment. _CRAP! WE ARE DEAD! _She walked towards him, making him curse the very moment he was born. When she finally stood in front of him, he expected instant death. Yet she did something… off?

"Excuse me, have you maybe seen a guy with pink hair and a scarf? Maybe unconscious in the whole trip here?" _So that was it!_ He sighed a bit in relief, just enough for him to relive himself of the built-up stress.

He answered matter-of-factly. "Unconscious you say? I saw a young boy like that, but that was in the last station." Okay, he was way too talented in acting like a woman. In unhealthy levels.

"Last station? I knew he would run away!" She went on a yelling feat, screaming something about guys who are irresponsible and do impossibilities to not clean up their houses, being overall totally useless alone. She was about to stomp away –how she would do that no one knew. She was practically a feather in the wind-, before Natsu spoke to her again.

"You know, you might have missed him! When you are too focused on one objective, you lose the whole picture and eventually lose what you were looking for. In this case, you lost your boyfriend." Mavis flushed a thousand shades of red that moment.

"What, he is not?"  
"N-No! H-he! I-I!" She was at loss of words, thinking that she was completely caught by a total stranger. _I, an over 400 years old Master, caught in a conversation with a stranger?!_ _It's that obvious? Wait, that means that everyone knows! _A thousand assumptions per second she made. It's not as if she was a wedding's bridesmaid, but hey! At least they left us some cake, making Mavis Vermilion stop in her quake. (TN: She calmed down) "He is not my boyfriend."  
"Oho! Then he must still be in the love interest status for you… Don't make that face, it's obvious that you like him. Everyone saw that worried face on the train." Once again defeated, Mavis nodded. "Well, worrying is not good for your health! Instead, why don't you go back to the guild and have a drink or two! You might see him there!" He started to walk away, but was quickly stopped by a furious –Oh, she's capable, I tell you) Mavis.

"How do you know I am from a guild?" Her glare scared away everyone in a four hundred meter radius, yet Anna seemed unaffected. She actually looked in admiration at her face.

"W-well!" _Crap! I gave myself in! Think, think!_ "Your mark on your dress of course! And your worried face too! Sure, your friend has to be a mage to be away, something went wrong in his job, you got worried and waited for his return! It's not that hard to connect the dots, you know!" Mavis looked convinced by her answer, before letting her go. Natsu began to walk away again, this time successfully.

With a thunder clap, Natsu transported fast to his house. He was after all the Fire Thunder Dragon Slayer. He transformed back to his original self and started to search for his keys. He unlocked his door and finally walked in his apartment, it always being in the chaotic state it was left at. Happy didn't bother to tidy it up one bit, huh?

"Happy!" The blue feline came out in a zap, his face always caring the smile he was so known about.

"Aye, Natsu!" He flew inside the room, a fish hanging on his mouth. Before he knew though, Happy had to drop the fish. Not believing his eyes, he rubbed them with his little paws again and again, yet the result was always the same. Natsu. Was carrying a child. "NATSU! WHAT'S THAT? ERZA WILL KILL YOU FOR RAPING SOMEONE!" He was flying in circles, only imagining what the Titania could do to the two of them.

"Idiot! I did not rape anyone!" He then told him what happened in the mission, all details included, and how he was convinced to raise Anna.

"I see… Then Natsu is stupid." Natsu nodded. There was no use denying it anyway. "So why do you keep it a secret?"  
"Huh?"

"I said why do you keep it a secret."  
"I don't know… I have no idea actually." He too wondered why he would go to that extend, but he couldn't find an easy answer. "Anyway, Happy, we will keep it a secret. Both of us will. Understand?"  
"Eh? Why me too!?"  
"She's going to live here. That makes you my partner-in-crime."  
"And how do you know that I won't speak?" Happy's voice was that of maliciousness and evil. You could hear the snake like _kukuku_, plotting his friend's downfall already.

"Oh you will…" It was Natsu's turn to look evil now. "If they find out, the first thing Erza _and _Mavis will do is attack you for not speaking earlier. Then she will kill me… Who do you think will be left with the duty to raise little Anna?" Happy gasped. "Yes, indeed. Imagine Charles. Someone of her class wouldn't bother with a buffoon like you, who couldn't keep his mouth shut for a second. Imagine your years of agony. Ending up alone in the world, while having to raise something that wasn't even yours to begin with… Say goodbye to fishing, goodbye to wall scratching, goodbye to freedom. You will forever be stuck with Anna!" Natsu then laughed an evil one, so evil that it scared Satan himself.

Happy ended up complying to his rule of not saying a thing about the kid. Instead, they cleaned up the house *cough* burning everything except what you didn't want to *cough*, before placing Anna on the couch. His hammock was no good for her. What if she slips and falls off?

"So, Happy, let's go to the guild just for a hi, okay?"

"Fine…" He was clearly plotting to spill the beans.

"Helloooo!" He broke the door in his way inside, leaving a very frustrated Makarov on the bar. He crumbled something about pesky brats and fourth doors of the month. Natsu walked towards the counter, ordering something to eat. _Act naturally and everything will work like a watch… Soon Mavis will walk in and I will say something along the line "I must have missed you!" or something._ She did come in the guild, her face having not changed much from when he first saw her. She walked towards him and finally spoke. "Hey, Natsu! What happened to your mission?" He expected that. He told her his story, save for the baby part. "I see..."

"Wait until you see the-" A fish blocked Happy's mouth in an instant, all courtesy of the Salamander. No one understood what was that for. Natsu decided to cover it up with a lie.

"Oh, he means about the broken ribs. A whole orphanage collapsed on me." Well, it was true that he broke many ribs there, but be sure that was not what Happy wanted to speak of. "I don't know how it looks like, Happy says it's all gross and stuff, but I know he is just playing with me." Believable. But it was the worst lie for the worrywart he had been complicated with.

"What?! Does it hurt? Are you okay?! Do you need hospital help? Take your shirt off we need to see the dama-" A fish now flew in her mouth. He was getting good at this!

"Easy there! One, no it doesn't! Two, I am great, thanks for asking! Three, where was I last night? And four…" He stopped his countdown only to chuckle.

"Four?"

"Well… I never knew you wanted me to take of my shirt so quickly. And there I thought you were the kind of person who waits until marriage. Guess there are things I never knew about you, even after 400 years!" You would expect a whole guild laughing their clothes off. Well, you were wrong. This was his death signature, signed with blood and fire. The expression Mavis made was that of a maddened Asura –Demon God-. The beating that followed was… creative, yet barbaric. No normal man would survive that. With each pummel, a part of hell was frozen.

"You are fine enough to joke around! Maybe you are fine enough to clean up your house?"

"Oh, he did that the moment he came back." Happy flew to his friend's way, hoping to collect the pieces of what was left of him. "It's all clean and shiny now, so much that you can see your reflection on the wall!"  
"You mean on the floor, cat." Gray corrected him.

"No."

"Wait, he cleaned his room? His house? Oh god, maybe he does need a hospital!" Mavis went _again_ in her panic mode. She felt guilty for beating him up too.

"He is fine, really."

"Fine? I never got him to clean it up, even when I brought 4 dragons in his doorstep!" The guild's jaws were of course acquainting themselves with the floor.

"He is fine. He just thinks that the house was too dirty for people to grow up in it."  
"Happy, he is 420. How much more growing up, really?"

"Oh, I never spoke about him."  
"Then who?" She quirked a brow, not exactly able to connect the dots.

"He spoke of himself. Happy is technically seven years old, so a clean house won't kill him! Well, at least not immediately! Because as we all know, the clean house slowly and painfully killed the talking cat!" Natsu recovered from his slumber. He will make sure that Happy receives the same kind of sleep, mark his words. "I guess it's time for me to go home. I am tired, my back aches and the train was as usual… Bye!"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY EARLIER THAT YOU DON'T HURT, LIAR?!" Before Mavis could pummel him on all surfaces, he had already clapped away. _He's getting good at using the Thunder element…_

"Master Mavis?"  
"Yes, Nab?"  
"How many hours do you spend with Erza exactly?"  
"Quite a lot, why?"

"No reason… Just asking…" Erza-canditate 2 is on her way.

With a flash, there he was again, inside his house, away from the preying eyes of the First. He was sure that Mavis would catch Thunder with her bare hands to give him a beating now, so a few days of isolation in his house won't kill him. "Waaah!" On the other hand, how much isolation can you get when you have to take care of a talking cat and a baby?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Of Sleeping Troubles and Baby Sitters

Natsu doesn't need too much time to forget something. He needed just two days to forget what sleeping is. One reason was the constant back ache that made him suffer. He didn't know he took that much damage. If he knew earlier, he would be an extra package of vicodin.

The second reason, and probably the most significant one, was the crying of a little creature that constantly woke him up the moment he tried to sleep. Anna Gram Dragneel. His daughter.

One would expect that he finally got married, or even that he had an extramarital relationship, where the fiancé died and now he has to take care of the kid, the only thing that remained to him from her to remember. Well no. He was just there when the orphanage collapsed, so he saved the kid, ending up being the one responsible to raise it. Life is weird at times, isn't she?

He has to suffer the consequences now. Goodbye good night's sleep for the Salamander! Raising a kid was never easy, but raising it alone, that was a different chapter. Call it madness of one character or even stubbornness, but he decided to keep Anna's existence a secret. He didn't know why himself, but he convinced himself it was for his own survival. But if he did know that it was going to be this difficult, who knows, he might had declined.

Truth be told, Anna was not a hard child. She wasn't crying out of frustration or anything and Natsu learned little by little how to discern her cries, so he didn't need to search too hard what she needed each time. Thank god his house was away from the city, so he didn't have neighbors to bother –or bother him back-. But still, things weren't as easy as one would wish.

Sighing in defeat, he got up once more to see why the little girl cried this time. _High pitched with a tiny bit of pain… I forgot to burp her?_ Natsu was an exceptional cook, so finding out about _baby friendly_ receipts was an easy task for him. He still though didn't understand the logic behind baby crèmes. _Low nutrient, disgusting taste and near watery substance… What kind of cruel person invented those?_ He burped her and put her back to sleep, before he himself went to bed. Now, what was again the first step of falling asleep?

Natsu woke up in the morning after… two hours of undisturbed sleep. He still didn't get used to it. He got up and made some coffee, before he left to the guild for the day. A little girl has needs and money didn't make itself. So he had to go to the guild and find a well paying job that will help him stay home longer when he gets back. It's not like that he doesn't trust Happy, it's the opposite actually. It's just that, if he let Happy for too long alone with the girl, hell might break loose. Anna seemed to adore the cat too much. Yesterday night Natsu had to unclench her hands –she was too strong for her size!- from the bear hug she was giving the cat. He was bluer than usual from the lack of oxygen.

"Are you sure you can take care of her?"  
"Aye, aye and again aye!" Happy was sure that Natsu was not that overprotective when _he_ was small. But no, this wasn't over-protectiveness. This was paranoia! Seven times he asked if he could take care of her. SEVEN! "_Feed her every four hours and make sure she gets enough sleep. Pat her back after she eats and play with her when she's bored. Don't go outside to play yet –_you will figure out how to solve that part_- and keep her away from anything sharp or too small for her to swallow. Also, don't fly her around the house, she might fall and get hurt. If anything happens and_ I'm 100% certain I can't handle it_, then I ask for help from the guild. Prefer not to, but if it's absolutely necessary do so._ We said this more than ten times already!" Unhappy with his friend, the blue cat pouted childishly at him. _Then you wonder why I say it over and over. _

"Okay then… Goodbye!" He walks a few steps away from the house, before turning around and say. "Are you _sure _you can take care of her?"  
"Aye!" He began to walk away again, before again turning around to say the same thing. This was repeated four times before Happy decided to throw to him the fish he kept in his sack. Now away, Happy could only wonder for one thing. _Does she eat fish?_

Fresh air! Loud talks! Green eyes and Blond hair! The day was wonderful for Natsu. He came to adore the baby in a small amount of time, but even he needed a small break once in a while. _Now to take a mi-_ "Natsu!" _Uh huh… What did I do?_

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-yes?" He stuttered like a fool in front of the glory of Mavis. _Did she find out about Anna? No, that's not it. *Gasp* She found out about the whole transformation thing! She's here to take my life for joking with her! I swear it was unintentional to make such assumptions! _Now cold like ice and shaking like the leaves, the Salamander waited to receive his quick death. _Happy, sorry. Guess you'll have to raise Anna on your own…_

"Um…" Mavis was not sure why Natsu was like this. He never stuttered so many _y_'s in yes. Shrugging it off -thinking this was just the result of his fear for her- she asked what tortured her these days. "How's your back?" Natsu didn't expect her to ask about that. He completely forgot about it, even though it was the original reason he took that break.

"As good as new! Don't worry, I heal fast!" He smirked at her and made his body take a weird angle, all just to prove that he was fine. Sighing in relief, Mavis had one less worry in her mind.

"Good… So, it's about time to pay for Lucy's rent, don't you think? We have already picked a job. We take 250.000 Jewel each. In other words; 5 months of pre-paid rend for Lucy, a new armor for Erza, meat for you (_meat? Yeah, right!)_ and enough money for me to buy that dress I saw the other day. So take Happy and come to the train station, okay?" She stopped for a moment, noticing the furry ball of energy missing. "Where's Happy?"

_Crap! Crap! Crap! Happy's home with Anna! I need an excuse! I need a good excuse quickly!_ Coming up with –probably- the worst excuse he could, he said to the blondie. "Well… Happy wanted to… arrange the... fish in the fridge! He said that he wanted them to be in perfect order in case Charles came over. And you know how he gets when it comes to her." Natsu was getting good at saying the partial truth. So good he thought seriously the choice of following a career in politics.

"Oh, okay then. Let's go then… Um…" Mavis was still unsure of something.  
"Um?"

"Are you sure your back is fine?"

"Yes, why?"

"You've got black circles under your eyes. I figured it might… Never mind." _And she noticed! Yes! Of course she would! Why would something so obvious as this go unnoticed from her hawk-eyes?_

"Troubles sleeping, don't worry." _Caused from a small girl I adopted on my last job._ "So, let's go?"

"…Let's go."

~  
"Every single time!" Gray was frustrated. No, his clothes were still on him. He just couldn't take Natsu's vertigo. "We'll all end up getting dizzy just by watching him!" _That flame shit… Hey, since he eats fire, doesn't that mean he poops fire too? And Gazille eats metal… Ouch. _Shuddering at the pain he imagined, Gray could only stare at Natsu, who was right now unconscious. All courtesy of Erza Scarlet herself, ne?

_Now's the right time. He's unconscious, everyone's here and Happy's absent, so he won't say a thing…_ "Do you guys find anything different about Natsu?" Her eyes examined them both. Lucy just tilted her head in wonder, when Gray just closed his eyes in thought and Erza… well Erza was Erza, too proud to show any signs of not noticing. Lucy just shook her head, not actually noticing anything out of place.

"Well, now that you mention it… He does seem a bit off. His mind is elsewhere when we fi- I mean have friendly conversations! Like he worries over something. I can't put my finger in it. What? You think the flame brain keeps a secret? Pu-lease! That idiot can't keep a secret to save his sorry ass from getting kicked! There's no worse liar than him in Fiore! If something was wrong, he would speak immediately. If he says that all is fine, then all is fine."

_He's right. Maybe I'm just overthinking things._ With that the conversation was over. Mavis could worry about one thing, and that thing included an extra sweet piece of cake. _Hmmm… Maybe I do spend a lot of time with the reddie. Her cake-addicts are rubbing off on me._

"Ugh… What's this mission about again?" There better be a good excuse for him to take the train or it's going to be the end of transportation. _I don't care if I'll be remembered as the Zeref Incarnate, I will destroy you, train!_

"Quit being childish! And for god's sake, you didn't listen to the explanation?! AGAIN?!" Smashing his head against a wall, she forgot that Natsu was unconscious on the train. Again. "Go in the cave, defeat the bandits, retrieve the package and go to the client. What's so hard about it?!" Easy, indeed.

Inside a clinic. No patients, no doctors, just them and the client.

Their client was a young woman. Not over thirty, definitely though not twenty. She was rather jerky and cheerful, almost mistaken for a female version of their burning dragon slayer. Thank god this woman didn't breath fire, or things would be hectic. Very hectic.

"So what exactly is the package we are looking for, Miss Everweed?" *Bang!* "Everwood."

"It's a spirit. My husband is a doctor of magical creatures –more like a vet I'd say- and he often encounters creatures of that kind. He sent a Lacryma with the spirit inside, but…"  
"Let me guess, it got stolen." Erza expected such consequences. Spirits were used in various ways, such life prolonging or even batteries for weapons. Their rarity made them a usual target for dark guilds.

"Actually no, it didn't."  
"What?"  
"You see, I mistook the Lacryma for the broken fire lacryma I was about to throw away, so… well you can guess the rest." Sweat ran down their necks. _Is she for real? _Definitely a Natsu Incarnate.

"Happened to me dozens of times actually." Silence. _Every day, my image of an all-powerful Mavis crumbles a little more._

Suddenly, crying was heard from inside the clinic. The woman then went inside, humming a weird tune. When she came back, she had in her hands a baby, not older than two. "Oh, she always cries when she's left too long alone…" She pouted rather childishly, before rocking the baby back and forth, quickly putting it back to sleep. "And I can't get a baby sitter either…"  
"Why not?" Natsu tensed a bit at her comment.

Miss Everwood looked at him as if he grew a second head. "Are you crazy? The last time I let someone else take care of her, she almost chocked on the food that fool gave her! He tried to give to a toothless baby solid food! Since then, I take her to work with me, no matter what!"

Natsu's jaw dropped on the floor. _Oh god! What if Happy tries to give Anna fish?! He's a fish-maniac, he _will_ try it no matter what! Oh god oh god oh god! I must get done with this before something happens to her!_ "Thanks for the information!" With that, he grabbed Mavis, Erza and Gray (yes, he left Lucy) and started running towards the caves, as if there was no tomorrow. _If I don't hurry, there might be no tomorrow for Anna!_ And so he ran like the wind.

After crushing through four houses, two stores, one hospital and a military camp –Laharl was going to complain for hours about this- they reached at last the caves. Not waiting for the others, he dropped them on the dirt (No, seriously, he dropped them like sacks of sand), he ran inside, burning whatever was not familiar to him. In name, some bandits drinking beer, cheering for their 'luck'.

"Okay, something is seriously wrong with him! He dragged me all the way here! AND I WEAR NOTHING! NOW I LOOK LIKE A BITCH THAT GOT DRAGGED AROUND BY HIS PIMP!" Gray was mad. Nothing more to report.  
"When Natsu comes out, he will go through HELL!" Erza was as maddened as Gray, maybe a little more than him.

"HE LEFT ME BEHIND! HE! LEFT ME! BEHIND!" As an Erza-in-training, Lucy was spitting the flames of inferno and punishment. If she were to spot Natsu, not even God knew what atrocities he would have to go through.

"Fairy Law it shall be then. Natsu Dragneel, prepare to meet your maker!" Erza-in-training 2. Let's hope that number 3 isn't going to appear and if she does, let's hope it's not Wendy. Too sweet of a girl, if you ask me.

The only sounds heard were the sound of the rustling leaves and the several beating the thugs were receiving. With the same speed he went in he came out, this time having a sapphire orb in hand. I'm not sure how, but he managed to catch both Mavis, Gray and Erza, while the orb was still at hand. And yes, as you may guess, he left once more Lucy behind…

"GAAAH!"

Oh brother…

Panting and almost puking from exhaustion, Natsu gave miss Everwood the item. "Are you running for a guiness record or something? This was too fast!"

"Natsu…" A dark voice foretold of great pain and misery for the Salamander. Even then though, Natsu didn't bother to worry about it. _Should I catch the next train or zap there? Zap, definitely zap!_

"Okay then, objective met, GOOD BYE!" And with that, he ran out again, this time in the form of thunder.

"What the hell was that?" Lucy just came in. Her clothes were in ruins –burned and tattered- now, her hair in mud and her mind set on one goal: Destroy Natsu Dragneel.

"Natsu." Gray was half black, toasted from Natsu's thunder form. By licking his fingers, he extinguished a small 'candle' that was lit on his charcoaled hair. "Oh he's dead." The temperature in the room became suddenly dangerously low.

The client remained skeptical over the whole thing. After thinking about it well, she asked rather innocently. "Say, is your friend a father?" No one moved from where they were. They tried to make this impossible equation in their heads happen, but failed every time they tried.

Suddenly, they started to laugh. Very very loudly. "The flame-brain? A father? Miss!" He gasped for air, almost choking from his own saliva. "Miss, don't make me laugh!" He then continued to laugh.

"That idiot is so irresponsible that can't even take care of a little errand, let alone a kid!" Lucy rolled on the ground, unable to calm herself down. Erza, struggling not to laugh like a madwoman, on the other hand grabbed the table with her metal glove and from squeezing it too hard it started to crack.

"He is the most careless and-" There she froze. Wait, he wouldn't, would he? "He's the most careless person in the world…" She trembled. The great Tactician trembled in her shoes. Gray understood immediately what crossed her mind and –knowing a bit of her relationship with Natsu- he started his tries to calm her down.

"N-Now, let's not be stupid, right? He's Natsu! His vocabulary is only consisted from the words ' Fight', 'Igneel', 'Aye' and 'Smite'! He wouldn't do such a thing! Never!"  
"He's dumb, succumbs to his desires on the spot and doesn't know a thing about what protection is!" She trembled even harder.

"He doesn't have a relationship and can't get drunk! He's immune to drunk-ness!"  
"He's immune to logic!"

"WHY ARE YOU TRYING DESPERATELY MAKE HIM A-" With a hit from the client, Gray shut up.

"It was a rhetorical question. The only reason I asked was because he was in an awful hurry _after_ I told him about Nel's incident. He might have easily forgotten his oven on and ran home to turn it off. It happened to me several times." This calmed them all down. "Next time you people make a ruckus, I'll be pummeling you all on the desk, ya hear me?"

"Yes ma'am!" They all were now like a little army, obeying their commander's orders to the word.

"Now take your reward and go straight home. Kids like you shouldn't be out too late! Bye!" From cheerful to demon and from demon to cheerful, this woman must be PMSing. _You are not that older than us._

"Goodbye!"

"Oh and Miss Mavis?"  
"Yes?"

Miss Everwood smiled slyly at her. "Make sure to jump him as soon as you get back to Fiore!"

One with her hair now, she just turned around and continued her way home with the others.

They walked all away, before she finally shut the clinic's door. With a swift movement, she turned to the little girl and with a grin, she said mostly to herself. "What a weird group of people. And what's with that guy hiding his parenthood like that?"

The skies were torn in half from the lighting that dashed through the country of Fiore. With a bang, that lighting soon started taking human shape and size, before landing with force inside the thick forest. Running now, the pink-haired man headed towards his hut, his mind constantly with what's inside it. Barging inside, he screamed on top of his lungs "Happy, don-"

He stopped midway, seeing that the said cat was entangled in sheets, sleeping in the arms of a little baby girl. Natsu then noticed the floor and soon the table. Everything was a big mess. The floor was full of colored palm marks and drawn papers, while the table was stained with food –namely fish bones and a bowl of baby food, premade by Natsu-. Watching the two a little more careful, he noticed that the two were in a not too different state. Natsu chuckled at himself. _How silly of me. I worried over nothing. I should trust Happy more than that. _With care, he picked the two of them and carefully put them in their Natsu-made beds. (Natsu is a good carpenter!) "I should probably clean this up! And maybe catch a big fish for Happy, maybe two." While tidying up the mess, he remembered something crucial for his health. "Crap, I forgot to take the payment! Now I'll have to take it from _them_! And _they_ will kill me the moment they see me! God help me!"

He's screwed…


End file.
